China Studies Research Centre, La Trobe University
Dr Rachel Winterton
2:30-4:00pm, Thursday 21 September 2017
Room 318, Education 2 (ED2), La Trobe University
Rural-urban migration among ageing populations in mainland China is becoming more prevalent. In the context of declining rural health care services, and the continued out-migration of working-age populations to larger cities, older rural Chinese are increasingly relocating to major cities to be nearer their children, and to access care and support. However, the relocation process poses significant challenges to the health and quality of life of older rural-urban migrants, particularly in the context of macro-level issues relating to the changing nature of family care provision, and government household registration regulations restricting health care benefits to non-registered rural-urban migrants. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 45 older Chinese who have relocated into Beijing from rural settings, this presentation explores how residential transition from a rural to an urban setting impacts on the health and wellbeing of Chinese seniors.
Dr Rachel Winterton is a research fellow at the John Richards Initiative, La Trobe University, Wodonga. Her research is located primarily in the field of health geography, and focuses on how rural communities, governments and organisations are managing and responding to challenges posed by population ageing through systems of governance, health and social infrastructure.